AUGUSTA — Rory McIlroy seized control of the Masters on Moving Day, shooting 6-under 66 from the penultimate group to take the lead by two shots over Bryson DeChambeau.
This is McIlroy's first Saturday night lead in the major since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla, which he won, and his first 54-hole Masters lead since 2011, which he emphatically did not. With that in mind, and all that will be on the line Sunday at Augusta National, one question comes to mind for our SI Golf roundtable:
Who, if anyone, can catch Rory McIlroy?
Brian Giuffra, Minute Media VP of Betting Content: Bryson is the first name, but I followed the Corey Conners-McIlroy group today and was impressed with the Canadian's steely nerves. He was six behind McIlroy through six holes but clawed back to within one on the back nine. If McIlroy didn’t go nuclear on 13 and 15, hitting both greens in two, and Conners took better advantage of the par-5s, he could be in the final pairing. He needs to get off to a fast start like McIlroy did Saturday, but it’s clear the moment isn’t too big for him.
Bob Harig, SI Golf Senior Writer: Bryson, no question. Getting into the final group with McIlroy is big, as he can match him and beyond off the tee. DeChambeau also does not have the scar tissue that lingers for McIlroy with several close difficult close calls over the past several years, including the U.S. Open loss to DeChambeau at Pinehurst. Bryson wants a Masters, and so this will be a tough day for both.
John Pluym, SI.com Managing Editor: It has to be Bryson DeChambeau. He had an up-and-down round Saturday but his short game saved it. If he can figure out his irons on Sunday, he has an excellent chance to chase down McIlroy and steal the green jacket from McIlroy like he did the U.S. Open. One thing is for sure about DeChambeau: He'll fight to the finish and he loves the big moment. There's no doubt he'll be up to the challenge on Sunday.
Jeff Ritter, SI Golf Managing Director: Definitely Bryson, and how lucky are we to have the two most popular players of the moment in the final pairing? The crowd will probably support both guys equally, which is fuel for DeChambeau. It’s set up to be a new entry in the “great final-round major duels” list. My hunch is that McIlroy and DeChambeau pull away from everyone else on the front nine tomorrow and we get a back nine for the ages. Buckle up.
Michael Rosenberg, SI Senior Writer: There really should only be one: Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy is 12 under. DeChambeau is 10 under. Corey Connors is 8 under, and he plays some beautiful golf, but he needs his putter to get hot, which it rarely does. There is a cluster of big names at 5 under and 6 under, but it’s really rare for anybody to come from that far back. If Scottie Scheffler (-5) shoots 65, he’ll still only be 12 under, which means a 71 from McIlroy or a 69 from DeChambeau would eliminate him. Somebody else will get to 12 under and look like a threat until McIlroy and DeChambeau hit those par-5s on the back nine. But I expect the winner to come from the final pairing.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Masters Roundtable: Debating Who, If Anyone, Can Catch Rory McIlroy on Sunday.
